Photography Special Sauce

Sometimes it seems like a big part of photography is a quest to discover some kind of special 'sauce' that can be ladled over one's flavorless photographs to make them stand out from the other desiccated offerings being served up on the fine art buffet. Something delicious to dress up the overcooked tilapia that are one's images. Frankly, I've got no real complaint with this approach. Mea culpa. Plus, tilapia is awesome. Transforming plants into a hunk of protein. Yes, please! And, after all, sauces are the basis of humankind's most sophisticated cuisines.

A popular sauce these days is the so-called 'digicam' aesthetic. Is this the next beurre blanc, or merely a slice of melted Velveeta? 

Tasting notes: Nikon D50, Nikkor-F 24mm lens. 

Android Dreams...

Like many, I still to this day remember watching my first darkroom print, a photograph of my pet iguana, slowly emerging out of nothingness, but I also still remember seeing my first digital images appear on my computer screen in full color as if by magic. And we knew nothing about the capabilities of these little digital machines as we snapped away. I soon learned how slow the autofocus could be and discovered the joys of chroma noise. Fast forward twenty years, and it would seem as if old digicams from the turn of the century are having a bit of a moment. I suppose it makes sense that folks in their twenties feel a certain nostalgia for digicam images in the same way that those of us born in the 20th century romanticize film images. 

Tasting notes: Canon G2.

Time Travel

On a trip to Austin, TX way back in 2009, I remember taking along my brand new Panasonic LX-3 digicam. I really enjoyed having a small, yet powerful camera always with me to make photographs of whatever happened to strike my fancy as I went about my day. Like this construction project near the UT campus. Of course, I wasn't smart enough (still not) to realize that soon enough my EDC camera would be one small part of a computer that lives in my pocket. It is gratifying to realize that most of the old photographs I made using early digital equipment still hold up pretty well today. This file looks just fine thank you very much on my new 5K monitor. Except for the blown out highlights... but, naturally, that's just part of the digicam aesthetic, you know? I still have that old LX-3 laying around the studio and enjoy taking it out every once in a while. It still works, but I did have to gaff the flash in the down position.

Good light to you this weekend, fellow traveler. Grab the nearest digicam and fire off a card full of photographs. It'll be fun! 

Greetings Earthlings

Somehow, I feel as though the digicam aesthetic matches pretty well with the art of Jeff Koons, especially now that such cameras are essentially 'antiques', and somewhat back in style again. So, I am happy to report that I used my Olympus XZ-1 (circa 2011) for this quick snap of the 37 foot tall 'Split Rocker' at Glenstone the other day. It was a warm and intensely humid morning, not really ideal conditions for photography, which is why I chose the old Oly instead of something fancier. Plus, it allowed me to leave my phone at home, providing a few hours of respite from my digital overlords... Anyhoo, even eleven years on, the 10 megapixel CCD sensor was capable of producing some very pleasant images. And, with modern editing tools, you can really bring out the best these little digicams have to offer. 

Good light to you this weekend, fellow traveller. 

Diamond in the Rough

My wife has been experimenting with arranging flowers and wildflowers picked from our garden, definitely a boon for my photography. Late afternoon light was streaming in from a nearby window and made for a very nice natural still life. I was shooting with the Olympus E-330 digital camera, a teenaged four thirds camera. The 25 mm f/2.8 pancake lens was attached. After doing a little internet research, I learned that the E-330 sports the same sensor as the Leica Digilux 3 and the Panasonic Lumix L1. The older Olympus cameras sure do produce pleasant images. Poor man’s Leica? Only you can decide, but for $75, it’s fun to discover for oneself.

And May the 4th be with you!

A Perfect Storm of Meh

In recent months, I have noticed a small bliptick (blip + uptick) of interest in old digital cameras in some quarters of the internet. From what I can gather, this nano-flurry of activity is being driven by some combination of nostalgia and the age old quest by photographers to achieve a unique 'look' to their images. I am far from immune to such forces, or FOMO either for that matter, and so, have been dabbling in digicams a little bit myself of late. Plus, at the moment, these old relics are a hell of a lot cheaper than old film cameras, not to mention film. You may even have one or two of these dinosaurs lurking at the bottom of a drawer or at the back of a shelf. 

All that said, it is hard to quantify the 'photographic look' of a digital file. It is what the geneticists would call a multifactorial issue. A lot of room to explore, in other words.

With that in mind, I am happy to report that the Olympus E-500 ($50) is producing files, that to my eye at least, stand out noticeably from those produced by modern digital sensors. It would be a reasonable place to start your digicam journey, should you be so inclined. Why? It's multifactorial, baby. But CCD sensor, poor dynamic range, low megapixel count, primitive color filter array. This little guy has it all.

Welcome to the funhouse! 

  
Tasting notes: Olympus E-500, 25 mm f/2.8 lens.  

Untethered

You never know what you are going to see when you walk out the door, even if it is just for a quick turn around the block. So, I am glad I had a well-worn Panasonic Lumix LX-3 with me when I came across two FedEx trucks in a docking configuration. The LX-3 is an old digicam from the late aughts, a period of time when many of us humans were still somewhat sanguine about the role of technology in our lives. At any rate, the camera made quite a splash, and was pretty expensive, too, retailing for between $400-$500 according to the internet. I think it was one of the first digicams to have a super wide lens (24mm equivalent). Of course, that is roughly the field of view of many phone cameras these days. It gives the beloved 'real estate' stretch toward the edges of the frame, but also makes your face look thinner in selfie mode, so there's that. These days you can find these little cameras for under $50 if you look around. Honestly, it still takes pretty decent images and is a fun little snap shooter. And, you can just leave your phone at home for a change.

Tasting notes: Shot in RAW and converted to black and white later.

Digicam madness

I recently completed my twice yearly image archiving process, which is how I became infatuated with the low resolution images from old CCD-based cameras like the Canon Powershot G2. I thought about picking one up again, but ultimately decided a better strategy would be to get a more modern camera that I had never owned before. Something that I'd missed out on back in the day, if you dig. So I looked at the G9 - G12 series of Powershots, the most recent models with CCD imagers in them. At this late date, the differences in specs among the various models are of no particular consequence to the modern photographer, so after looking at the available inventory online, I ended up snagging an almost new G11 for about $125. That was also a nice way to satisfy the desire for a shiny new thing without breaking the bank. To boot, it produces surprisingly nice results, and I am thinking of using it on a project or two just for the extra spark of creativity it brings to the table. The 10 MP files are fine for a zine type of project and the old school color, noise and dynamic range properties give a pleasing and coherent aesthetic. No one need ever know the secret, either, which just adds to the fun. So, I've been taking the camera with me everywhere. 

Recently, I've made the decision to quit worrying and just trust science, and have been getting back out into the world a bit more. I don't think my friend thought I was being obnoxious at all when I pulled out the G11 to grab this shot from the outdoor patio where we were having lunch. It is a nimble little tool, far more nimble than I was after my plate of fried catfish.